It's hard to believe that I've already spent an entire week in Argentina..... So much has happened and I have learned so much already. Despite how incredible this all is, I'd be lying if I said that everything has been great. First, not speaking the language here is difficult, but what's more difficult is that my host family does not speak English - at all. Every day is a challenge. For example, it's tough to communicate our plans to each other. I've struggled to ask mi mama when and where to catch a bus. I think I have time to spend with my friends until she is suddenly looking at me, wondering why I'm not ready to go. I can't call a cab. Even when I simply state "I need a cab at this address" somehow I am still doing something wrong. I think they are coming and they don't... So far, we've developed our own system. Mi mama is an excellent artist - she works in architectural design - so we draw pictures to communicate. Yesterday, she wrote down the bus number and line, and the location to catch it when I need to get home. Tonight, I followed these instructions and ended up 20 minutes away at a bus station. No one spoke English and SOMEHOW my little Spanish got me home 45 minutes later. (When I am lost, stuck, or confused, I can't call mi mama - over the phone we REALLY can't communicate). I can't help but think of the many non-English speaking people back home.... as a someday-future-advocate for these groups, I truly understand what it is like to not speak anyone's language. Here, it is worse, because as a foreigner, I'm really not accepted. In America, storefronts read "Falo Portuguese" or "Hablamos Espanol." Here, nothing says "We Speak English."
My host home is great, despite a few minor setbacks. I live in a great Spanish-style home, sandwiched between two storefronts. Clara is my host mom. She's divorced, beautiful, strong, successful and fabulous. She has two beautiful daughters, one of which is 23 and lives with her. We also have un pero y un gato... my other friends here. The streets here are beautiful and the architecture is incredible. It's like Spain and Europe fell in love and then had a baby named Miami. Every sidewalk is tile - no cement - super Spanish-like and changes in color from house to house and block to block. Some tile is black, others yellow, and the best are red. There are many markets, but most of all, tons of cafes. Here, nearly all businesses (not really the cafes) close from 1-5. The restaurants do not open until 8:00 or 9:00 at night!! WHY??? Because of SIESTA! Here, people SLEEP for any number of hours between 1 and 5 every day. Therefore, all stores close. They also eat really late, between 9 and midnight. One night, I came home after going out. I certainly didn't expect dinner, but yes, we at dinner at midnight. This is one of the most interesting aspects of Argentina. It's a major time warp. They eat breakfast early, have lunch mid-day, sleep, wake and have a mid-day snack, and then eat at 11:00 at night. The sleeping thing is by far, the most bizarre. You can walk around at 3:00 and no one is out.
I'll try my best to sum up the week....
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| Cerro de la Gloria - |
A monument dedicated to Gen. San Martin who played a major role in winning Argentina´s freedom. Entire tour this day was in Spanish. =-x
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| La Plaza de Independencia |
The center of the city is more modern than I ever expected. Lots of palm trees. I was told that in 1864 a major earthquake wiped out nearly 1/3 of the population. This plaza was built as a safe place for residents to go in the future.... not sure how that would work!
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| Beautiful Spanish tile, mosaic and fountains... |
Surrounding La Plaza de Independencia are four smaller parks. This one is my favorite.
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| Isequias to water the trees |
Mendoza is extremely dry but fortunately, the mountains have enough snow to supply water to the city´s trees.... Incredible. These irrigation ducts are called isequias and they line every single street throughout the city.
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| I rode this horse!! |
Saturday, we spent a day at a traditional asado with the gauchos. Gauchos are the cowboys of Argentina. When immigration and progressive development flourished, the gauchos stayed in the rural grasslands to farm, herd cattle, and stay true to their roots.... Sipped homemade red wine, ate grilled veggies (the others, grilled cow), and then rode through the mountainside.
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| Breathtaking views. |
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| Dancers during some grub. |
There are four universities studying here, from Hawaii, Texas, and I think Missouri - and of course Salve. I love my group. There are only 7 of us, but it is awesome. We all get along and are great friends already. Even better is that we are totally proactive about having a blast here. In our first few days, we already ventured out at night and went to a tango class (which was underground in the basement of a bank - weird). We've also checked out the nightlife and had a blast last night dancing at a local bar. Oddly, everyone here listens to American music. We also drank mate together - a social custom here. Mate is fantastic tea that everyone passes around and shares. It's drank out of a metal straw called a bombilla which we all shared. We're mate mates for life.
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| Am I really here?¿?¿?¿? |
I'm trying my hardest to have patience with everything. The other day, I had no idea which bus to take from school to get home. I waited and waited and knew I couldn't ask anyone around me. I started to get agitated until I saw a blind man trying to cross the street. With his cane, he felt the edge of the sidewalk and stepped down. I watched him listening to the sound of oncoming traffic, trying to figure out when to cross. People here drive crazy. It's insane trying to cross the street with eyesight. In that moment, I knew that if he could get around Argentina without sight, then I could do it with mine.... Day by day. Patience, Ashley, patience.
